Customer Reviews

Edgeplay - A Film About The Runaways

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I don't even know where to start. I've watched Edgeplay three times in the few days since I got it, and still feel as if I am seeing new, dusty corners in a room I grew-up in.


If you are looking for another typical, VH-1 styled look at the fun and excesses of a dysfunctional rock band, this complex film may disappoint you. Edgeplay is not a film intended to excite, gawk, or fawn over it's subjects, and I say subjects rather than "subject" intentionally, as it's a film about people, not about the rock 'n roll lifestyle. There is no whimsy for the joyful free-sex and drugs of the 70's, or any fanboy enthusiasm for The Runaways as a band.

What there is, is an insightful and compassionate look at a tragic and yet stoic group of young women, who made history, without ever recieving any praise, who made great music without ever selling many records, and who paid dearly in many ways for their now legendary status, with a good part of their childhoods.

Edgeplay is a documentary about the all-girl hard-rock band The Runaways, who so much like their tourmates The Ramones, set the next two decades on fire, without getting any of the credit or rewards.

Victory Tischler-Blue, the director, writer and concience of Edgeplay, endured a 6-year trial-by-fire getting this film made and released,(and is a story as compelling as any in her movie), and I think much of the raw honesty and poignance in this film is in some ways a direct result of that struggle.

There is an almost Dickensian cast of characters: A young, Joan Jett-Talented and driven, yet shy and unsure of herself, Cherie Currie-A striking blonde, who never expected to be a singer, and yet, much like Lana Turner sitting at a soda fountain, was chosen to be one, Kim Fowley-A slimy Svengali who unashamedly preyed on very, young girls to make himself rich, and makes no apology, Sandy West-A tomboyish, young drummer who simply loved playing her drums, and wanted no more than to spend her life doing it, Jackie Fox-A doe-eyed bassist who found out earler than the others that stardom could be an empty trophy cup, Lita Ford-Fiesty, tough, and driven, and Vicky Blue-The bassist who walked into this dysfunctional family in the midst of meltdown, and yet stayed on the outside enough, and more importantly, grew-up enough to make this incredible film.

I think Miss Blue, ex-band member and director of Edgeplay, knew something that Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With The Wind knew. Mrs. Mitchell once said about the theme of her novel, " I often wondered why some people could rise above great adversity, while others, just as brave and smart, go under. All I know is that my daddy called that quality "gumption". I wanted to write about people that had gumption, and those who didn't". Well whether intentional or not (though I expect it was), that is exactly what Miss Tischler-blue has done here.

As most will know, Lita Ford and Joan Jett managed to escape the musical ghetto that was The Runaways, to find great success in the music business. The original bassist is now a successful attorney. Cheri Currie, although never achieving the same level of success, managed to find work in Hollywood for many years, and has continued with a low-profile music and art career. Sandy West, however was plagued with misfortune after her band dissolved, falling into desperately hard times, both financially, and otherwise, and much of this is explored unflinchingly in Edgeplay.

This film works on so many levels that I sometimes am awed by it. When you watch it the first time, you see and hear the story of a rock band. When you watch it a second time however, you begin to become absorbed by the enormous differences in these women. All but one of the members, now in middle-age and 25 years away from The Runaways, still carry deep emotional scars from their experiences, that seem to transcend anything that has happened to them since. All but one of them breaks down on camera in a way that's agonizing to watch. Is it really possible to carry resentment from teenaged slights and squabbles into middle age? Once the women start talking to Miss Blue's camera, you find out that you can indeed.

The only one who does not seem affected by her experiences so long ago is Lita Ford, who I found, quite unexpectedly, the most fascinating of all. After 4 decades or so of life, I like to think I know false bravado when I see it, and yet in Lita I saw none. It's amazing to watch her face as she walks back over the same old paths as the others while recounting her experiences, and yet, to her, it was almost like describing a movie she had seen, and enjoyed, but could only partially remember; not because it wasn't exciting, but because, well....it was only a movie. Lita ends-up being Edgeplay's Scarlett O'Hara. The one who had gumption.

Of course Joan Jett became a star as well, but we'll never know her thoughts and feelings on things, as she declined to participate in the film. As I understand it, she was violently opposed to the film, it apparently not focusing enough on her, and did everything in her power to crush the film before it could be released. This is utterly mystifying, as her treatment in the film is not-at-all negative, and if anything, she comes across as rather inoffensive and hard-working. Very strange.

Edgeplay is, in many ways, the "Clockwork Orange" of rock documentaries. From the dark, sadonic tales of excess and loss-of-innocence, to the startlingly effective and moody camerawork, (which usually annoys me, but here served a real dramatic purpose for a change), this is a film that anyone can get something out of, whether you're a Runaways fan or not.

After posting a review of Edgeplay on another site, I was amazed and delighted to recive an email from the director of the film, thanking me for my good review, and expressing her relief that someone "got" what she was trying to achieve with Edgeplay. Yes Victory, because of your long journey in making this poignant, affirming, yet disturbing documentary, we all got more than we could have hoped for. Don't worry. You did good.

Victory Tischler-Blue's "Edgeplay" is a riveting, emotional, brutally honest film about what happens when a cruel, manipulative man pumps 6 teen girls full of dreams.

The Runaways were a groundbreaking rock group whose influence over the years belies their mediocre record sales at the time. Somewhat manufactured in that none of the girls knew each other before being picked out by uber-scenester Kim Fowley, they still managed to forge a raw identity of their own while rebelling against his emotional abuse. Having been a 13 year old in Los Angeles at the time of their first album release, I can personally attest to the dreams they inspired amongst their fans.

All the girls involved except Joan Jett co-operated fully in this documentary. The interviewer / director was one of The Runaways herself: Vicky Blue was the bass player who replaced Jackie Fox after Jackie left the band. Even Kari Chrome who never played onstage, but contributed songs to the first album & was instrumental in Kim's initial concept of the band is interviewed.

Cherie Curry has previously written of her experiences in her autobiography "Neon Angel" but, judging from this documentary, left huge gaps in her book. All the dirt, all the hurt, all the damage done to fragile teen egos is finally aired in "Edgeplay". Cherie admits to sexual relationships both with other members of the band as well as a long-term one with "hands on" manager Scott Anderson which left her pregnant during their European tour. Her combustible relationship with Lita Ford (who spends most of her interviews either having to be reminded of recordings or glossing over her violent temper) led to Cherie's departure from the band.

Jackie Fox (the first bass player) discusses the real reason she abruptly left The Runaways in Tokyo at the peak of their fame. The revelation leaves her in tears, and the scars from the experience remain on her body to this day.

The most affecting interviewee is Sandy West, the drummer. As with most drummers, Sandy was never an intellectual or prone to analyzing situations. She just wanted to play drums & have a good time. Greedy, manipulative power plays took her life away from her & the final scene is of her tear-streaked face wondering why the original members can't reunite & record together again. It's a wrenching scene that illustrates vividly the damage done to these young girls.

Ms. Tischler-Blue also interviews both Sandy & Cherie's mother's which provides an excellent background on how Kim Fowley was able to abuse these young women so freely. Kim himself spends his interview time blustering & dodging questions, never coming close to admitting the wreckage he made of these 7 lives.

The extras aren't much, but do provide some additional background to "Edgeplay". There is a Video Gallery, which consists of some of the background footage used with more of Kim Fowley's bluster playing over it. The only other extras are 3 different promotional trailers. Interestingly, much of the promotional footage was not actually used in "Edgeplay". The final one, called "Edge-Tap" is hilarious, and a much needed antidote to the raw emotional footage of the film.

Absolutely recommended to anyone who wants to see what really goes on in the rock world. With the current mania for tarting up young teen girls & displaying them as sexual objects on MTV, "Edgeplay" is amazingly relevant to today's music business. Get this DVD!

I haven't listened to the Runaways in over 20 years, and even then, only listened to one album, their first. I came to it by way of Joan Jett, whom I liked. I wasn't crazy about the Runaways album. This film, however, reveals a group of girls who were, in fact, quite talented and strong, and who became skilled and made some good music.

Unlike other reviewers, I don't see Kim Fowley as quite the abusive sleazebag they did...More, he was a banal, self-important, smarmy, drover. Did he take advantage of them? Perhaps. They didn't seem to make any money to speak of during their 5 years together--there's no mention of what Fowley walked away with, either, though. And if he used them, he also groomed them. The girls were (understandably) unprepared for the hard realities of the music business. And they didn't like it when Kim called them names. Say whatever you want about Fowley, though, he took a bunch of inexperienced, horomonal, undisciplined kids who didn't know a whole lot of music, and he turned them into professionals. He made them rock stars; he gave them a shot at something great. He just didn't seem to be very good at managing teenage girls--is anyone? They were kids, and left to their owen devices, they drank; they took drugs--lots of them; they had sex--with each other, with one of their managers, with who-knows-who else.

The film seems weirdly lopsided without a contribution from Joan Jett. She went on in post-Runaways life to enjoy the greatest fame, and it is peculiar that all the other bandmates contributed to the movie, but she didn't. This odd omission isn't even mentioned in the film, or in the extras. Jett appears, of course, in the archive footage from the 70s, but that's it.

Blue assembles footage and interviews that successfully evoke sympathy and even affection for these kids, and I would have liked to know more about what became of them after the Runaways broke up. Blue, of course, is a filmmaker. Jett is a muy butch rock star who likes to tease her fans about her sexual orientation. Ford, too, went on to become a successful musician with some hits in the late 80s (no mention of this in the movie, though). Sandy, the drummer, seems by the end of the movie bitter--she went on to become an arm-breaker and money collector for drug dealers, and to work "in construction." That's all we really know about her Runaways afterlife. What about Jackie Fox, the original bass player? Despite having fled the band after trying to carve herself up with a piece of broken glass, she seems in the interview footage to be pretty together. She is articulate, intelligent, clear.

Devoting too much time to their post-band lives would have unfocused the film, but something could have been included that would both concluded the film and resonated with what preceded it. Failing, that, something could have been included in the Extras.

Also, did I miss something here? Is there no actual recorded concert footage with music in this movie?

Maybe I'm nitpicking. I also realize that it probably isn't really a 5-star movie, for the reasons I've mentioned. Still, I enjoyed the film. There was nothing about the film I didn't enjoy. As another reviewer pointed out, this is clearly a labor of love, and therefore deserving of whatever generosit we can muster. (Parents should see it as a cautionary tale: Don't let your daughters join rock bands!)

Sometimes riveting, sometimes like one of the less interesting "Behind the Music"s. As other reviewers have pointed out, "Edgeplay" suffers from a lack of original Runaways music and Joan Jett's non-participation in the film. It ends up more of a confessional/exposé than a documentary about this great band that produced some awesome music and really made history as far as girls/women playing loud rock. That said, the interview footage with Kim Fowley is totally fascinating and bizarre, Lita Ford's a riot, and there are some great stories here about the formation of the band, touring with the Ramones, etc. I understand there were licensing issues with the music, and if Joan wasn't going to talk, well, you're stuck. Given these limitations, I still think a more interesting movie could've been made by focusing more on the music (talking about it if not actually hearing it) and on storytelling--it's hard to piece together the history of the band from the chopped-up interviews, there's waay too much time spent with Sandy's mom (I mean, this is a necessary angle to present, but not so much of it), too many murky slo-mo clips, shots of Cherie looking pensive in the desert, etc. Oh well. It's hard to go wrong with this material, and this is absolutely worth seeing, I'm still waiting for a more compelling and complete take on the Runaways.

When I first discovered The Runaways, I was in junior high, and they had just released their first album. Needless to say, I thought they were the coolest thing in the world - they were tough, they could sing, they were in a band, and they were girls! Living in the Cleveland suburbs, I didn't see many girls who were like them. They inspired me, annoyed my parents (which was the point, right?), and made me realize there was a world beyond Cleveland. Fast forward to 30 years later, and we're all in our mid-40's; The Runaways have grown up, and so had I. The Runaways were a memory, and I honestly hadn't thought much of them, other than Joan and Lita's careers.

Edgeplay was terrific - I had no idea of the manipulation and degree of outright greed that was involved in creating The Runaways. Kim Fowley proves himself to be completely without class and regret for the destruction he brought upon the band, as did generally every man who was involved in their 'management'. The saddest part for me was watching Sandy West, who seemed so lost after the breakup of the band, and just wanted to play her drums forever.

Highly recommended!

First things first: This is neither quite the brilliant documentary that some have suggested, nor is it a failure, as others have stated. The greatest strength of this documentary is honesty. Four of the five members of the most famous version of the group (excluding Joan Jett) provide extensive on-camera interviews, as does replacement bassist Vicki Blue (also the director), and they are mostly no holds barred. Instigator/original manager Kim Fowley also appears for guarded but unvarnished commentary. The original Runaways are all interviewed separately, and each provides her reminiscences. It is quite clear from the interviews that all the the original members look back at both the other members and the overall experience with a mixture of ambivalence, bitterness, and regret. Taken as a whole, their reminiscences provide a Roshoman-like perspective from which a net truth can be pieced. This is as close to that truth as we have gotten, and much closer than we get in the more recent bigger budget Runaways movie.

To anyone interested in the Runaways story, or interested in the sordid machinations behind the Svengali fueled star-making machinery of the music business, this will be engrossing and will be essential viewing.

That said, it has to be noted that while Tishler-Blue has made an interesting documentary, it isn't a GREAT documentary, owing partially to limitations on archival source material available to her, owing part to the lack of participation by Joan Jett, and owing in part a somewhat too narrow, too inside approach to the story.

OK, let's take those three points one at a time:

1) Limitations on the archival source material. Joan Jett declined to participate. As a result, vintage Runaways songs co-written by Jett were not available either for the soundtrack, or for video. Therefore, for example, footage of the Runaways performing is limited to two cover songs. The soundtrack is populated mostly by Lita Ford solo songs and Suzi Quatro songs. The lack of performance footage and music isn't the only problem, however. More significant in the absence of vintage footage of the Runaways at press conferences, in TV interviews, behinds-the-scenes, etc. This footage exists, and it is not clear why none was used. The contrast between the middle aged women the Runaways have become and these women as teenagers would have added tremendously to the film.

2) Joan Jett's lack of participation. As noted, this resulted in the lack of vintage performance materials. But it also means we are not treated to Jett's perspective on the days of the Runaways. Surprisingly, this is a relatively modest loss. The interviews with the other former members are (seemingly) honest enough that they paint a pretty complete picture. Jett's thoughts would certainly have added even more color to the picture, but one doesn't actually sense that her lack of interview participation leaves as large a hole as might be expected.

3) A too narrow, too inside approach. The film takes as almost a given that the viewer is invested in the Runaways as cultural icons, and that there is little need to investigate their place in the development of pop music. While that's OK for diehards, it unnecessarily limits the appeal of this film. I think it also does a disservice to The Runaways, as there is nothing here to support the assertion that The Runaways were of lasting cultural significance. While good arguments can be made for that premise, none are provided. And while nothing kills a music related documentary as quickly as modern pop icons offering retrospective "scholarship" (see any VH1/MTV production), where is the essential commentary contemporaries of The Runaways--from artists with whom they toured or co-mingled, such as The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Blondie, etc? Where is the back story on the girls, which might explain how 14 year old girls were hanging out at nightclubs by themselves, were available to be exploited in the first place, and might help explain how each of them ultimately dealt with how things turned out? How about some more outside voices to help define Kim Fowley, their infamous manager? The meat of this movie would always be the interviews with the women themselves, of course, but framing is critical to make something more universal.

Despite these limitations, if you have an interest in The Runaways, the film still packs a punch.

Compared to the slick, bigger budget Runaways docudrama (which was produced with Joan Jett's participation, and which reflects a mostly Jett-centric view, and an almost entirely Jett Currie focus), this is most certainly the deeper film.

That said, the sad thing is that this documentary contains the outline of a GREAT docudrama: Young, naive girls with doe-eyed dreams taken in by a predatory Svengali, used, abused and discarded, with the most fulfilling part of the story how they ultimately dealt with the collapse of those early promises. There's plenty of sex, drugs, and rock and roll to spice it all up, of course. But I think that's the far less interesting story. Too bad that's the story that, for the most part, the big budget Runaways film chose to feature. Contrasting how the different members of the group dealt with the collapse of the Runaways offers a fantastic mix of success, failure, reinvention, the triumph of tenacity, and tragedy of being unable to reconcile childhood dreams with adult realities, specifically:

Jackie Fox, the smartest one (and the one who would always have the most options available to her), drops out of the group first, goes off the grid, finds herself, goes back to college, Harvard law, and becomes a successful attorney.

Vicki Blue, replacement bassist, leaves and becomes a successful video auteur.

Joan Jett and Lita Ford: Prospects outside the music world might have been minimal, but they were driven and lucky, and ultimately found legitimate success in music on their own terms.

Cheri Currie: Directionless but benign girl has her innocence and childhood evaporate as she becomes the sexed up jailbait singer for The Runaways. She buys into the image and lifestyle, but finally quits in disgust, eventually finding a certain peace in a modest (figuratively) just outside of Hollywood existence.

Sandy West: Fox had the brains, Blue the artistic and personal perspective, Jett and Ford had the musical talent and drive and Currie was scrappy enough to find her way. West just wanted to play drums. When that went south, her life trajectory was one of deepening decent into darkness: drug dealing, jail, etc. Her interview for this film reveals that nearly a quarter of century later, she still wondered "what happened?" and was waiting for that Runaways reunion that would never come. (West died a couple of years after this film was completed).

In an ideal world, I'd end here by stating that someday, someone will make the great Runaways movie just crying to be made. But realistically, we're not likely to see another shot at the story. Too bad.

If you've seen The Runaways movie, and you're interested in further backstory, this documentary is a must. If you haven't seen either movie, and you know who the Runaways were, then I'd recommend this movie over The Runaways. If you're just looking for an hour and a half of entertainment, go with the The Runaways. But there's a lot more heart (and a lot more real sadness) in this film.

I was born in '59 and imagine that I was close to the age of these girls. Upon first hearing "Cherry Bomb", I thought that these were the coolest girls in the world. I played in a regionally successful New york City band, but my dream was to play in LA and meet the Runaways. For a few summers we would cruise, listening to the casettes and hope to meet girls that were this cool, as our ever growing libidos increased. The Runaways were it, even though on the album photos I didn't think they were beautiful, they still had a hook in me and I fantasized about having any one of them as my girlfriend. The documentary was well made by the second bass player, Vickie Blue and is an honest testament to what exploitation a young band must endure on it's journey for success, I imagine must worse if you are all females. The spattering of Suzi Quatro songs throughout was very nice and I found it a very satisfying watch, although I am still pissed that ther wasn't more Runaways than we were left. My favorite song has always been "Hollywood", not one of the most mentioned tracks over the years, but nonetheless one that still brings me back to LA at that time, a place I finally went to in the late 70's and actually found it as decadent as NYC, if not more. If you were young in the mid to late 70's, surely you will remember these girls and will enjoy this documentary as I did.

The Runaways may not have been the bestselling band of all time, but they certainly inspired young women to pick up their instruments and rock as hard as the guys. "Edgeplay" attempts to tell the story of this influential rock band straight from the mouths of those directly involved. The producer and director, Victory Tischler-Blue, herself one of the Runaways, interviewed all the major members of the band of the late 70s with the notable exception of Joan Jett (who declined to participate), as well as some of those who helped put the band together. Through these interviews, we learn of the hard work that molded these ladies into stars and the heartache that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

One of the strengths of the movies is that we can see each band member jump from the glitzy promo photos and album covers to emerge as distinct personalities. Lita Ford is the feisty lead guitarist who has no problem pushing over personal relationships for the sake of the success of the band. The first major bassist, Jackie Fox, is the group brainiac, who quits music for good to become a lawyer. The tomboyish drummer Sandy West, described by Fox as a well intentioned "follower," emerges as the most tragic character of the lot due to her inability to recover from the band's breakup (to make matters worse, she finally ended up dying of lung cancer a few years after the release of the film). Blonde bombshell Cherie Currie is the lead singer who takes teenage "experimentation" typical of the 1970s perhaps a bit too far for her own good. Replacement bassist Vicki Blue (nickname for Victory Tischler-Blue, the maker of the film) is the naive latecomer who would rather ride horses than get high with her bandmates. While not interviewed herself, Joan Jett is portrayed by others as a peacemaker who pleaded to keep the band together as long as it did. However, there are no caricatures in this film, only the portraits of complex individuals with the flaws, talents and ambitions that we can only expect from those who lived and breathed 70s rock culture as teenagers.

Anyone considering watching this film should be warned of the explicit nature and emotional intensity of some of the narratives. The sex and drug-crazed culture of era permeates the lives of the Runaways and the stories they tell in "Edgeplay," and the young ages of the girls involved make some of the material all the more disturbing. Furthermore, the ladies do at times bad mouth their former bandmates, highlighting the tumultuous relationship between these teenaged rockers of different backgrounds and personalities. However, it should be noted that most of the ladies' most shocking comments are not directed towards each other, but their infamous manager, Kim Fowley. On one hand, Fowley was the PR genius responsible for discovering and marketing the Runaways to begin with, putting together a group of largely inexperienced girls to start a phenomenon. However, Fowley's support came at a bitter cost. According to the former bandmates and their relatives, the manager verbally (and possibly sexually) abused the Runaways to get them to do what he wanted exactly how he wanted. Interestingly, Tischler-Blue herself was much more charitable to Fowley, stopping short of calling him anything worse than a "weirdo" prone to bizarre personal insults to get his way. Surprisingly, Tischler-Blue even managed to obtain interview footage with Fowley, so do not mistake this for one sided propaganda --- Fowley was clearly given a chance to explain himself.

Of course, few would dispute that this is NOT a perfect documentary. As many reviewers have complained about, there is no Joan Jett, nor is there much Runaways music or performance footage. However, we absolutely cannot fault filmmaker Tischler-Blue for this problem. Not only did Joan Jett refuse to be interviewed, but her record label refused to give Tischler-Blue the rights to Runways recordings. Joan Jett (as well as Jettfan reviewing this product) may complain about Blue producing a "Jerry Springer" soap documentary, but that was not the filmmaker's original vision. If you think that this is all gossipy interviews and artsy shots of unrelated clips, just remember that that's all Tischler-Blue had to work with. Joan Jett and company could have made this documentary something more to their liking, but went out of their way NOT to.

The bottom line is that this is a fantastic documentary as long as you see it with the right expectations. Do NOT watch this movie if you're looking to see Joan's point of view. Although I have not seen it myself, the recent biopic "The Runways" tells the same story from a more Joan (and Cherrie) perspective. Furthermore, do NOT watch this film if you are looking forward to hearing the Runaways' music itself or seeing old concert footage. DO watch this film if you want to see brutally honest, even gut-wretching collection of accounts of one of the most influential girl bands of the 20th century. Thanks you, Vicki Blue, for completing this project despite all the threats and setbacks!

The significant is Joan Jett. All the Runaways participate and Fowley even rears his arrogance for all to see but Jett is nowhere to be found outside of the historical footage. This is still a great behind-the-scenes retrospective through interviews (the girls still look great today) and quick flashback glimpses through concert and touring footage. It could have been spiced up with more Runaways material from the era; the footage of the Velvet's "Rock and Roll" live is a highlight. I grew right along with them and though I was a male in the audience, felt their ups and downs. I also took offense at Mr. Fowleys assessment of The Runaways' male audience at the time... he missed me by a mile. Ms. Blue is to be commended for her efforts.

The Runaways were both an actual all-girl rock `n' roll band and a realization of their impresario's promotional imagination. Their run of four studio albums in the 1970s (The Runaways, Queens of Noise, Waitin' for the Night, And Now... The Runaways), a live LP (Live in Japan), and a few odds `n' sods collection (Flaming Schoolgirls) yielded some terrific glitter-flavored rock, a great deal of publicity, but only a modicum of commercial success. Though they provided inspiration for bands like the Go-Go's, Pandoras, and Donnas, and two of the original members (Lita Ford and Joan Jett) went on to international acclaim, the group's original publicity still casts a shadow over the Runaways' musical accomplishment. They remain more infamous than famous.

The band's second bassist, Vicki Blue, developed a post-Runaways career as a producer/director (under the name Victory Tischler Blue), and is the visionary behind this documentary. Blue's inside connections with the band is both a blessing and a curse, as the group members are candid with her on some subjects but appear to close down on others. She tells the interior story of the band's interpersonal dynamics, focusing on the shifting friendships and tensions between band members, and the abuse heaped upon the then-teenage girls by management and assorted hired hands. This is more a diary than a history.

Even those familiar with the Runaways public career would have greatly benefited from an explanation of where these girls came from, a brief discourse on the culture of the Sunset Strip and San Fernando Valley, the musical times, and the family lives that allowed teenage girls to tour under the reportedly abusive and non-watchful eyes of Kim Fowley and manager Scott Anderson. Signature events, signings, and concerts are alluded to but never fully highlighted, and the band's peers and fans are omitted from the picture. The lack of context or third-party perspectives saps some of the power from the first-person interviews. The largest blow of all, however, is the lack of participation by Joan Jett, the band's heart and soul, and the inability of the filmmaker to license any of the Runaways studio recordings. Live performances of Lou Reed's "Rock `n' Roll" and the Troggs' "Wild Thing" give you a taste of their power as a band, but little sense of their original music.

Blue's interviews with four of the original band members, Cherie Currie, Lita Ford, Jackie Fox and Sandy West, are supplemented by interviews with songwriter Kari Krome, impresario Kim Fowley, latter-day manager Toby Mamis, and inspiration Suzy Quatro. Blue is able to get some startling admissions from her former bandmates, particularly Cherie Currie, and their on-going damage is revealed in the bitterness they harbor and the anger that remains towards one another (they're each interviewed separately) and for the adults who abused them. Blue doesn't successfully confront Fowley on the group's allegations, but interviews with Currie and West's mothers go a long way to solidifying his dark reputation.

Kim Fowley saw the band's demise as a product of the members' lack of friendship, but what's clear from the interviews is that neither Fowley nor Scott Anderson had an interest in the group's long term well-being, and used the teenage girls' immaturity as weapons against them. The band's demise, after a disastrous album with British producer John Alcock, produced a short-lived solo recording and film career for Cherie Currie, chart success as a pop-metal star for Lita Ford, and a major international music career for Joan Jett. Drummer Sandy West fell into a series of jobs outside the music industry (construction, bartending, veterinary assistance) and rackets (protection for drug dealers) before succumbing to cancer and a brain tumor in 2006. West remained haunted to the end by the Runaways' breakup, angry at those who manipulated the band and unable to understand why a reunion couldn't be pulled together.

Blue's film editing is very busy. The dizzy, hand-held interview footage quickly turns from vérité to distraction, as does the constant presence of music beds, and the jump cuts and video effects. Her choice of sunny outdoor locations for many of the interviews prompts her subjects to wear sunglasses, hiding the expressiveness of their eyes. Blue is to be lauded for getting this film off the ground, dealing with numerous limitations, and sticking with it to completion. Her insider's perch informs but also colors the story she tells, and without the broader context of the band's life and times there remains a definitive biography to be made. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]